In one commonly known type of apparatus for forming glassware, known as an I.S. type apparatus, parisons are formed in inverted positions by pressing and then inverted and transferred to a blow mold for blowing into a final product such as a container. Such machines are shown for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,911,119, 2,289,046, and 3,024,571. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,906, there is disclosed an apparatus for forming a parison in upright position and transferring it to a blow mold by an apparatus which utilizes an endless chain trained over two sprockets, one of which is located adjacent to the free end of a neck ring arm and the other of which is located in the pivotal mounting of the neck ring arm in order to isolate the arm.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a novel method and apparatus which is intended to form wide mouth glassware; which method and apparatus provides wide mouth glassware and allows the parison to be formed more quickly with less pressing force such that the glassware is better quality; wherein single or multiple glass gobs can be processed; wherein the gobs of glass are preferably fed through the neck ring into a vertical solid blank; wherein the process provides for a quicker and more accurate alignment for the plunger with less movement of the glass within the blank; wherein the process does not require a funnel mechanism nor a baffle mechanism and wherein the apparatus is capable of functioning in a reliable manner at high speeds with minimal maintenance.
In accordance with the invention, the method and apparatus for making wide-mouth glassware comprises providing a solid blank mold, providing a split blow mold, providing a split neck ring, providing a plunger carrier having a movable plunger therein, moving the blank mold upwardly to position for receiving a gob of glass, positioning the neck ring on the blank mold, delivering a gob of glass to said blank mold, positioning plunger carrier into engagement with said neck ring, extending the plunger into said blank mold to deform the glass and force the glass into the neck ring to form a parison, thereafter retracting the plunger and moving the plunger carrier away from the neck ring, lowering the blanks, moving the neck ring with the parison thereon to a position between the open blow mold halves while maintaining the parison in vertical upright position, closing the blow mold about the parison, opening the neck ring to release the parison in the blow mold, returning the neck ring to its original position adjacent the blank mold, blowing the parison into a hollow glass article, opening the blow mold, and removing the blown glass article. Preferably the glass gob is delivered through the neck ring. Also preferably the extended plunger relative to said carrier begins to press glass as the plunger carrier moves into engagement with said neck ring.
The method and apparatus preferably includes providing a neck ring arm, pivoting said arm about a first horizontal axis providing a neck ring holder for holding said neck ring, pivotally supporting said neck ring holder on said neck ring arm. The method and apparatus further comprises providing a transfer arm, pivoting one end of the transfer arm about a second fixed horizontal axis spaced from the first horizontal axis, pivoting the other end of the transfer arm to the neck ring holder and pivotally connecting said transfer arm to said first horizontal axis such that the pivotal movement of said neck ring arm about said first horizontal axis causes said transfer arm to move about said second horizontal axis and maintain said parison in vertical upright position as the neck ring is moved to a position between the open blow mold.